Israeli football club whose fans have been BANNED from Aston Villa match hit back at ‘unfair’ police decision – as Government discussions continue ‘at pace’ to resolve the situation

A senior Maccabi Tel Aviv official believes the specter of antisemitism may have influenced the Israeli club’s decision to bar its fans from attending a football match on British soil.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has criticized the decision of West Midlands Police, who requested that away fans not attend the Aston Villa Europa League match against the Israeli team in Birmingham on 6 November due to ‘a number of physical and safety factors’.

And on Friday Downing Street said discussions were taking place ‘at the same pace across Government’. According to a No10 spokesperson, Culture Minister Lisa Nandy is ‘meeting with officials to discuss what more can be done to find a way to resolve this and enable fans to attend the match safely.’

He added: ‘You can expect to hear further updates today. ‘I won’t pre-empt the conversations, but they are happening rapidly across Government with all relevant groups finding a way to resolve this.’

In UEFA club competitions, away fans are allocated five percent of the capacity; This means Maccabi needs to buy just over 2,100 tickets at the 42,640-seat Villa Park.

The move angered the Jewish community, with Maccabi CEO Jack Angelides saying on Friday morning: ‘Obviously it has been met with some concern about what this potentially signals.

‘We understand the reasons given to us for feeling that the authorities will not be able to adequately protect our fans who will be attending the match.

‘I try to avoid getting into politics and talking about how other countries should act, but I think this is an extremely important moment because of what it means. I don’t use the term lightly, but people ask what does antisemitism look like?

West Midlands Police classify match at Villa Park as a ‘high risk’ match

‘Small events that lead to something worse. We have British and Maccabi Tel Aviv fans who are Jewish and they have been told it is not safe to watch football in their country,” he told BBC Radio 4.

In a post about X, Starmer said: ‘This is the wrong decision. We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets. ‘The role of the police is to ensure that all football fans can enjoy the match without fear of violence or intimidation.’

West Midlands Police confirmed in its own statement that the decision was made based on ‘previous events’, namely when Maccabi Tel Aviv fans became the target of antisemitic attacks during the club’s Europa League match against Ajax in Amsterdam last year.

The arrest of 68 people following attacks on Israeli football fans led Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof to describe the attacks as ‘shocking and reprehensible’.

West Midlands Police also confirmed that the match at Villa Park had been classed as ‘high risk’ following a lengthy assessment.

Angelides added: ‘It has been forwarded to UEFA regarding the decision or recommendation, I’m not sure what it is.

‘Villa conveyed the police’s position. I can’t say they took a position. We had an excellent cooperation with them. ‘They keep us informed about the authorities’ decisions.’

Maccabi Tel Aviv Chief Executive Officer Jack Angelides said the call was met with ‘horror’

In the statement made by UEFA, the following statements were made: ‘UEFA wants fans to be able to travel and support their teams in a safe, secure and welcoming environment.

UEFA encourages both teams and competent authorities to agree on the implementation of appropriate measures that will allow this to happen.

‘Competent local authorities remain responsible for decisions regarding the safety and security of matches held in their area; ‘Such decisions are determined based on comprehensive risk assessments, which vary from match to match, and taking into account antecedent circumstances.’